Driving Safe Sport Forward
Key findings from the Building European Safe Sport Together (BESST) project were showcased during the Olympic Committee of Slovenia (OKS) Days on October 15-16, 2024, in Portorož, Slovenia. Co-funded by the European Union, the BESST project focuses on fostering a sports environment in Europe that is free from misconduct and transgressive behaviour, while supporting the development of stronger safeguarding practices within European sports organisations.
The event opened with a roundtable discussion on the theme of “Integrity in Sport – Ensuring a Safe Sports Environment,” moderated by Maja Smrdu, a member of the OKS Ethics Commission. The panel brought together key stakeholders, including athlete advocates, legal experts, government representatives, educators, law enforcement officials, and Peter Dokl from OKS, who also served as a representative for the BESST project.
On the second day, Andreja McQuarrie presented the outcomes of the BESST project on behalf of its partners, including the European Olympic Academies. The project’s research revealed that safeguarding practices in European sports organizations remain in the early stages of development, underlining the critical need for further action to improve protections across the continent. The presentation drew an audience of key figures in Slovenian sports, including leaders from the Olympic Committee of Slovenia, national and local sports federations, government ministries, national media, sponsors, and other supporters of Slovenia’s Olympic Movement.
Additionally, during the Athletes’ Forum, participants discussed common misconceptions about safeguarding and were informed about proper reporting channels for any incidents of transgressive behaviour they might experience or witness.
About the project BESST
The BESST initiative aims to develop a modern unifying definition, a legal framework and an awareness and education toolkit for National Olympic Committees, Sports Federations and Clubs and guidelines for European sports event organisers to provide the organisations with the necessary support to make sports safer for everyone involved.
The BESST project team consists of the following organisations: European Olympic Academies, IGNITX, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Rudi Hiti Academy, UEFA Foundation for Children, NOC of Netherlands (NOC*NSF), and NOC of Slovenia.
